


Those Three Little Words

by PyreWrites



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: And More Angst, Angst, F/F, I'm Sorry, Mentions of canon character death, and that's pretty much it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-18 10:46:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16116815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PyreWrites/pseuds/PyreWrites
Summary: “I...” Waverly Earp stood in front of the woman she loved. But her throat closed around those three little words. “I... I... I can't.”





	Those Three Little Words

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading a fic the other night and one of the tags was about what Nicole might feel about Waverly not saying I love you back. Then this happened. I apologize.

“I...” Waverly Earp stood in front of the woman she loved. But her throat closed around those three little words. “I... I... I can't.”

 

* * *

 

“I love you, Mama.”

Then one day, without a word Mama was gone. It was over 15 years later that Waverly discovered why she had left and that she had been only a few miles away the entire time. And that Wynonna had known.

 

“I love you, Daddy.”  
“I love you, Willa.”

Daddy had always ignored Waverly. Unless he was screaming at her. Willa, she was mean. Sometimes downright cruel. But you were supposed to love your family no matter what. At least that's what you think when you're a child.

Then in one night of screaming, shattering glass, gunfire, and blood Daddy and Willa were gone. 15 years later Willa came back. Waverly even said the words “I don't think the Willa that came back is _our_ Willa.” But in all honesty, this was the only Willa she had ever known. Then she was gone again, this time for good.

 

“I love you, Curtis.”

Waverly's uncle was more of a father to her than Ward had ever been. He had encouraged her. He had paid for every college class she had wanted to take. He had _believed_ in her. Then he was murdered by a pack of Revenants trying to draw the Heir back home.

 

“I love you, Shorty.”

He was as much a part of Waverly's family as her actual family (if not more than in some cases). He also happened to be her boss and landlord, right up until he was murdered by a Revenant trying to escape the Ghost River Triangle. Wynonna had been forced to pull the trigger, but it was that red-eyed bastard that had killed him.

 

“I love you, Champ.”

It is said that girls fall for men like their father. Drunk and never really cared about her? Check and check. Looking back she's fairly sure that she had never loved him at all. At the very least she never felt for him what she felt for Nicole. She had spent her life as “Wynonna's little sister” and that was a deep dark shadow to try to get out of. Before Champ Waverly's only friend was Chrissy Nedley, because they had known each other since before either of them could remember. After she started dating Champ she got to be at least some version of Waverly that wasn't just Wynonna's sister. She made friends, she became popular, she became a person beyond her last name. Even if she still wasn't her own person.

She said it because she had already noticed Champ's wandering eye. She said it because she thought it would somehow make her enough for him. She said it and things only got worse. She said it and he knew he had her. She said it and he knew she would forgive him because without him she was just Wynonna's little sister again. She said it and he was “gone” in a matter of days because he had never really been there in the first place.

 

“I love you, Gus.”

In the long run, Waverly was glad that her aunt had taken her share of the profits from selling Shorty's and retired far, far away from the Ghost River Triangle. But it didn't make it hurt any less that the woman that raised her was now thousands of miles away.

 

“I love you, Wynonna.”

Waverly's big sister. The one person she thought she would always be able to count on. In and out of foster homes. In and out of juvie. Tried to run away more times than Waverly could count. Then just a few weeks after Waverly graduated high school Wynonna vanished, for years. When she finally returned, so did the chaos. Or the chaos returned, and brought Wynonna with it. Either way, she had her sister back but dreaded losing her again.

 

“I love you, Alice Michelle Earp.”

Waverly knew it was going to happen. There was no other way. Not saying it was not going to keep her here. Less than an hour old, she couldn't even understand the words, but the newest member of their weird little family was whisked away. And the odds of any of them living long enough to see her again seemed to get slimmer by the day.

 

* * *

 

“I can't.” Waverly mumbled. “God Nicole I want to. But I can't.”

Nicole did her best not to show it, but the look of heartbreak on her face was more than evident.

“Oh, baby. You have no idea how much I want to.” Waverly grabbed one of Nicole's hands and placed it over her heart. “It's in here. I feel it. So much. But I can't say it. Because... I'm cursed.”

“The Earp curse. I know all about it. And I'm going to be here right by your side until and after it's broken.” Nicole said, the confusion obvious in her voice. “What does that have to do with telling me you love me?”

“Not the Earp curse. I'm not even an Earp so there isn't that much I can do about it anyway.” Waverly said as tears started to form. “Me. Just me. All by myself. I'm cursed. Everybody I have ever said it to has gone away.”

“Baby, I'm not going anywhere.” Nicole pulled Waverly into a tight hug.

“You can't promise that. It almost happened already.” Waverly said and the tears began to fall. “I said it _about_ you to Wynonna and 5 seconds later Willa shot you. I almost lost you and we had barely even started. If I lost you now it would destroy me.”

“I knew I couldn't make that kind of promise the day I decided to become a cop. But I can promise you that I will do literally everything in my power to stick around for as long as you want me here. Because, Waverly Earp, I am completely head over heels in love with you. And I will wait as long as it takes for you to feel ready to say it back.” Nicole pulled Waverly into a deep, passionate kiss.

Several minutes later they finally pulled apart, gasping for air.

“I love you.” Waverly breathed. Her eyes snapped open as panic overtook her. “Oh God! Oh no! Nononono!”

“Waves. I'm not going anywhere.” Nicole whispered. She kept repeating for hours until Waverly eventually cried herself to sleep.

 


End file.
